By default, task managers are not necessarily the most exciting applications. ReQall, however, is not only one of the better iPhone task managers, but is also trying to make a business out of it by launching reQall Pro today. For $2.99 a month, reQall Pro users get a large number of new features, including Outlook and Google Calendar integration, geotagged events, SMS alerts, and integration with contacts that are already stored on an iPhone (iTunes link) or BlackBerry.
The current version of the iPhone app does not support all of these features yet, but the new version should be available in the iTunes store soon. Users can still opt for the free version of reQall as well, though they will miss out on some of the most interesting new features.
Geotagged Tasks
The most important and interesting new feature that comes with reQall Pro is its ability to assign a location to a task. You could, for example, assign the location of your favorite store to a shopping list and then reQall will organize your to do list accordingly.
Memory Jogger
One of reQall’s distinguishing features is its ‘memory jogger,’ which looks at a user’s situation (calendar, time, location), and then tries to alert the user to the most relevant items on the to-do list.
Pro users will also be able to send notes to reQall by email.
Free Transcriptions for All
Users who don’t upgrade to the Pro version will still get free voice transcriptions (Jott, which offers a similar function, now charges for this feature), as well as an updated interface for contact management and the ability to add recurring events to reQall.
Verdict
Like so many other iPhone apps, reQall will surely benefit from the 3.0 firmware update once it is released in the summer. Without notifications, the app is only half as useful as it could be.
For now, however, reQall is still a very good task manager (though it might not suit everybody’s taste), and its voice transcriptions and the ability to send and receive messages from a multitude of different locations (including IM and this Firefox plugin) set it apart from a lot of similar apps.
Whether this will be enough to steal users away from more established services like Remember the Milk remains to be seen, but if you aren’t locked into a particular service yet, reQall Pro (you automatically get a free 30 day trial when you sign up for reQall) and its mobile apps are worth a closer look.
